


One Way or Another

by TynxCann



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Happy Ending, M/M, Misunderstandings, cursing, dorks being dorks, eventual love, kingdoms AU, modern/past era mix, prince AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2818358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TynxCann/pseuds/TynxCann
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>To aid his kingdom Tsukishima is forced to participate in an arranged marriage with the prince from Nekoma Kingdom. At first he would do anything to end the proposal between him and the unruly-haired cat, but after getting to know each other will Tsukishima still want to end the marriage?</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Way or Another

**Author's Note:**

  * For [binni](https://archiveofourown.org/users/binni/gifts).



> Wow, I knew this was going to be long, but not this long. This is the longest one-shot fic I've ever written. I tried my best to keep it as consistent as possible and please forgive me for the limited mature and explicit scenes, I couldn't find a place to put them without having to possibly add another thousand words or more. Binni, If wished I could add a second chapter with a higher rating. 
> 
> I couldn't really do something from an old era, but I didn't want to do modern, so I decided to mix them as much as possible and do something in between where it wasn't as old, but not too modern either. I hope it isn't too much of a confusion. I tried my best. I hope no one seems OOC like at all.
> 
> I am so happy to be a part of this secret santa and I hope you, binni, enjoy.

"No." Quick, short, and right to the point, that's exactly how Tsukishima liked it.

Standing in front of his father who sat on his throne, Tsukishima gave the man the greatest and most fierce glare he could muster and folded his arms over his chest in defiance over the words that just fell out of the man's mouth just moments ago.

The man sitting just a few feet away gave a heavy sigh. He sat up from leaning against his throne and placed both arms on the chair's arm-rest. Tsukishima's father began radiating an aura of superiority and looked back down at his son who kept a close stance and stared at his father with eyes full of anger. "You really don't have a choice in this, Kei. It's already been decided since before you were even born."

Narrowing his eyes at his father, Tsukishima tightened his hold on his forearm, nails digging through the fabric of his shirt and leaving crescent-shaped marks on his skin. "I understand that you decided to sell of your own  _son_ for a profit in money, but I see no reason for Nekoma to marry Karasuno as they will gain nothing in return with this marriage. Can't you simply cut off the deal?"

"It isn't as easy as saying no, Kei."

"And I suppose giving away your son is," muttered Tsukishima under his breath.

His father paused to give him a quick look before continuing on. "You may believe that there is no reason for this deal, but if your private tutors have taught you anything then you should know about the great catastrophe that struck our kingdom several years ago. We were on the verge of collapsing, if it wasn't for Nekoma then who knows what might have happened."

"Yes, but-"

"And if you have learned anything, then you should know to never provide aid to another kingdom without an ulterior motive. In the end we both agreed to this deal and several years later we reach this moment in time where I am informing you of what that deal was. Now Kei," Tsukishima grits his teeth from at the way his father continues to speak his name so casually. "As the son of Kazuki Tsukishima I expect good things from you. Don't ruin this deal and the help that was given to us years ago."

"But father-"

"Enough, I shall hear no more." Standing from his throne Kazuki sent his son a frightening glare before turning in the other direction and exiting the main room to his quarters.

Tsukishima clenched his fist and suppressed the urge to curse at his father until he heard the door slam shut. The room fell in silence, the light of the sun trickled in through the large windows behind the throne and Tsukishima found himself fuming in anger. Turning in the opposite direction he stomped towards the main door, stopped and raised his foot to quickly hit it with all his might before yelling "But why do I have to get married?!"

* * *

After fuming for several seconds in his father's throne room Tsukishima found a gentle voice break the deafening silence and looked up to see a familiar ashen-haired person walk into the room.

"Calm now?"

Stepping into the room was Sugawara Koushi, his private tutor as well as his father's "assistant" in dealing with international affairs, trade, and anything in the business that had to do with money. He was a scholar from a faraway land that came to Japan to find more people he could teach, but instead found himself broke and dying in the middle of the streets. It was pure luck that Tsukishima's mother found him and took him in. Now he's a loyal worker of the palace and indebted to Tsukishima's family.

Raising an eyebrow Tsukishima gave the man a look as if he didn't understand what he was talking about.

Sugawara ignored this and continued talking. "You do know that I am considered your father's right hand man so I know everything that happens around here."

Tsukishima scoffed and straightened his robe. "Typical."

"Although if it was anyone else then I'm sure they would know considering you just yelled about your engagement a couple of minutes ago."

"It doesn't matter, I'm not going to marry anyone anyways," added Tsukishima. "It makes no sense to marry now, what would they gain from a poor kingdom like us?

Sugawara hummed and gave Tsukishima that innocent smile of his. It was that kind of smile that could fool even the simplest of idiots, but send shivers down any sane man's spine. Tsukishima never had anything against Sugawara; he was always kind and was like a second-brother to him ever since he was taken in to the palace. Although he always had this frightening element to himself where he knew everyone and everything that happened around the building. It wouldn't be a surprise if he knew people's weaknesses as well, hiding innocence behind that gentle smile.

"But doesn't this make it more interesting, now you don't have to go around looking for someone to marry."

Tsukishima processed those words and found himself looking at the ashen-haired man with a fierce look. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean what?" he asked with an innocent tone. Averting his gaze the ashen-haired man looked around the room before turning to a painting that hung on the opposite end of the room, studying it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"You're usually the one who's usually spewing "follow your heart" and "true love can only come from within" crap to Hinata, so why would you say that an arranged marriage is good?"

Sugawara shrugged his shoulders and stared into the eyes of the painted woman's.

Silence followed before Tsukishima came to a dire realization. "You met him/her haven't you?"

Sugawara smiled and turned his attention back to the blond. He took a couple steps forward and placed one hand on top of Tsukishima's shoulder. "It's a he and I am 100% confident you both will get along."

Clicking his tongue Tsukishima turned in the opposite direction and began making his way to the door. He shut out whatever Sugawara tried telling him and stepped out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway. The windows allowed light to filter in from the outside, but right now his priority wasn't how bright the whole hallway was, it was how stupid and idiotic this whole mess was turning out to be. Maybe if Sugawara was right then this person he was going to marry wasn't going to turn out half-bad. Right?

* * *

You know what? Forget about everything Tsukishima said about ever believing Sugawara because all his "gut feelings" did was cause more problems than solutions. Just thinking back to when he declared that Hinata and Kageyama made a perfect couple caused goose bumps to form on his arms. It even sent shudders down his spine when he thought about the sweet and innocent smile that plagued Sugawara's face as they both watched the two idiots squabble over their opposing ideas.

Forget Mr. Cupid, there was no way Sugawara was correct about his hypothesis about Tsukishima and the prince of Nekoma. Which is how he found himself here right now, sneaking out of the castle and into the main village below the castle's hill.

After his father had informed him of his "marriage"- or act against his right and freedom- Tsukishima made it his duty to cut the proposal as soon as possible. Which with the limited amount of options he had come to sneaking out of the castle and waiting out at an undisclosed location until the deal was off.

Knowing Tsukishima he had better and much more elaborate plans that included more than throwing a rope out of the window and hoping he didn't smash his skull in climbing out of the side of the castle, but his father had put up guards all around the castle so anything else was no longer an option.

Taking his final step onto the stone-paved path Tsukishima scanned the area for any people that were probably out and about in the garden and thankfully saw that no guards were out patrolling the outsides. The temperature was already starting to drop at this time of year and the winds have become more reckless as the days went by.

Karasuno Kingdom was actually placed among one of the most dangerous place on the planet, the side of a mountain with slanted pathways and stoned streets. The king who founded the country found a cave full of minerals, and diamonds that spurred on his inner greed and caused him to create his kingdom next to the cave at the top of the mountain. Of course at first everything was going according to plan: diamonds and minerals were being mined day after day supplying the kingdom with the richest of foods and supplies, that is until they started coming up broke.

It's been years since the kingdom had found a hefty amount of minerals to even help them live through the cold winters on top of the mountain, but on rare occasions would the miners strike on something big and find it in their hearts to share the findings as equal as possible and continue to place a roof over their family's head.

After two days being cooped up in his room Tsukishima began to understand that this marriage would be useful to aid their kingdom who is in a dire need of money, but his teenage hormones say another thing and goddammit he doesn't want to marry a guy he doesn't even know, much less allow him to come anywhere near his vicinity. Tsukishima is a complex guy and unless one can strike his interest then he finds no need to associate himself with others.

Following the garden's stone path Tsukishima walked with slowness and precision as he took each step. Although there weren't any guards in sight it was it's better to be safe than sorry. Daichi and Asahi may seem like laid-back people but when they are given an order they stick to it until the very end.

Walking around the kingdom Tsukishima ducked under one of the broken fountains out front and watched in bewilderment as his father stood in front of the castle with a group of people who did not seem to be from the area. It was obvious from their lack of clothing and the crest that hung around their carriage with extravagant colors and a variation of shades of red that this was the group that was accompanying the man he was going to marry.

There stood a tall man, probably taller than him, with ashen-colored hair and armor all over his body. Most of the people either wore armor or an assortment of differently red shaded fabrics all over their body. There was a much shorter, blond-looking person panicking and clutching his head as if he was given the worst news of his life. He stood in front of Tsukishima's father, mouth rambling on and on a mile a second as the ashen-haired one simply smiled and patted the shorter one on the back as comfort.

It did the opposite and earned him a kick to the shin.

After noticing no change being made Tsukishima deemed his surveillance as a waste of time and turned in the opposite direction to sneak away. That is if he could.

"Boo~!"

Jumping higher than what was humanly possible (possibly higher than Hinata) Tsukishima swirled around with a menacing look on his face and glared at the man who dared try to scare him.

Standing right there was an unruly-haired, half-lidded, grinning, pompous bastard, a pompous bastard with Nekoma's crest on his chest and crooked crown on his head. It didn't take a genius to know who this man was, but \deep within Tsukishima's cold and sly heart he hoped this man wasn't who he thought he was.

"Your Royal Highness!"

"Kei!"

"Oh no..." grumbled Tsukishima.

"Oh yes," purred the raven-haired man. "My name is Kuroo Tetsurou from Nekoma Kingdom, nice to meet you." As he extended his hand out to Tsukishima and gave him the fakest of fake smiles he's ever put on and said…

"Stuff a sock in it, you asshole," and proceeded to kick him in the shin.

* * *

Okay, Tsukishima will admit, kicking that unruly-haired bastard in the shin wasn't the smartest or most diplomatic choice he's ever made, but watching him jump around with one leg while holding his bruised foot sure did give him a good laugh. Of course his father immediately sent him to his room, accompanied by his guards so he wouldn't do any more trouble, but as he was being escorted away he turned around to give the guy a smirk of victory only to stop when he noticed something.

He was smiling.

That fucking bastard was smiling.

Tsukishima may have won this battle, but there was still a war raging on and Nekoma's prince was definitely on the winning side at the moment.

That fucking smile. Tsukishima couldn't get that cocky smile out of his head. Everything about that guy just screamed "stay away!" but in Tsukishima's dictionary that only made him want to get closer. If there was ever someone who could stand his abuse and still live to smile while winking as he was taken into the castle, then Tsukishima knew that this wasn't going to be easy.

He will win, he will end this marriage, and he will definitely wipe that cocky smirk off of that cat's face, even if it's the last thing he does. Oh yes, this was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

The day was already turning to night and the cooks in the castle were working hard to prepare a meal that would satisfy the taste buds of the people from Nekoma Kingdom. While people were off preparing for dinner Tsukishima was off preparing to not attend dinner. Although after a little coaxing by Sugawara-more like forcefully dragged out of his room and into the dining room- he sat at the far end of the table with Nekoma's prince sitting right beside him with a huge smile on his face.

Oh joy.

Clicking his tongue Tsukishima simply turned to look in the opposite direction and tried his hardest to ignore the staring cat. There were times where he looked at his plate or the floor with great interest but every single time he felt his body relax as if there wasn't a single nuisance occupying the room a sudden feeling immediately jolted him back to reality. Those cold and long fingers of Nekoma's prince continuously glided down the side of his arm to the tip of his knuckles where they rested for several seconds before pulling away to answer one of Tsukishima's father's question.

He swore he saw the guy's smile widen every time he elicited some kind of reaction from the blond and if his eyes weren't mistaken then the chance that he winked at Tsukishima more than enough times probably meant something. Something he really did not wish to get involved in under the fact that A. that's gross, ew, and B. no. Just no.

So in the end that night's dinner was spent with a whole lot of touching, a whole lot of questioning by his father, and a whole lot of internal threatening. Just try and get inside Tsukishima's mind, you'll shudder at the kinds of "bad" things he wants to do to Kuroo at the moment.

After taking his last bite into the dessert Tsukishima immediately darted up from his seat and excused himself from the table. He hurried past his "fiancé" and practically felt himself burst with joy when he spotted the dining room's door just inches away, but was instantly stopped by his father's heavy voice.

"Prince Kuroo, why don't you accompany my son along, this would be a great opportunity for you two to get to know each other," it wasn't exactly an opinion but more of a demand. Either way Kuroo happily answered his request and stood up from his seat as well. The sound of the chair scraping against the marbled floor caused shudders to run down Tsukishima's spine.

"Please behave Kei," demanded his father.

"Yes..." mumbling out a quick reply Tsukishima continued out of the room and down the hall, heavier and quicker steps pacing along with his rhythm. The blond almost thought that maybe he could find a way to ditch the other, but it looks like that thought was immediately cut short.

"I don't think you should try and run away from me, Kei," purred the raven. "You don't want to get in trouble by your father, now do you?"

He clicked his tongue and fastened his pace.

"So Kei-"

"Don't call me that, it's Tsukishima to you." Turning around he gave Kuroo the deadliest glare he could muster but was only rewarded with a grin.

"Tsukishima-kun~" Tsukishima swore that guy was out to get killed. "Since we are getting married don't you think you should treat your husband with a little more love?"

That's it. That was the final straw. Stopping in his tracks Tsukishima turned around to stare at Kuroo, sighing heavily before opening his mouth to speak. "We aren't married, we are not going to get married, and I do not wish to ever get married with a cocky bastard like you. This marriage was arranged because our kingdom was in a crisis and you guys just had to act all hero-like and come in and save us. That's all in the past already, don't think that just because the deal was never cut you can just walk in here like you own the place and try to play all king and queen with me. Like hell I'm ever going to serve or marry some guy like you."

And with that said he turned on his heels and stomped down the hall to his room where he slammed the door in Kuroo's face.

Standing awestruck in the middle of the hall Kuroo could only blink his eyes a couple times before lightly chuckling to himself. "He's a feisty one. Very well, I'll play this game."

* * *

The very next day Tsukishima found himself (once again) regretting all choices he made yesterday.

"Because you cannot listen to orders I will have Daichi and Sugawara follow you and Kuroo along to keep a close eye on you."

Yep, definitely regretting everything.

Leaving the throne room without a single word after that Tsukishima found that now the little group has doubled, this time his father's right hand man and the country's finest knight as well as guard following them along on this supposed "date" they were going to have. He sneaked a quick glance at Kuroo who yawned into the palm of his hand and rubbed the puffy side of his hair. He noticed Tsukishima look his way and gave him a lazy smile.

Tsukishima grimaced and ventured out of the hall to god knows where.

"Remember to not try to run away this time Tsukishima, I have strict orders to stop you if you ever try to leave my sight," said Daichi.

"I don't think he has a choice anyways, he is on a date after all," chimed Sugawara, that clear and innocent smile on his face. Oh how he hated that smile.

"So Tsukishima-kun, where are you taking me on out date?" asked an amused Kuroo. Draping his arm over Tsukishima's shoulder he leaned towards him, practically resting his whole body against the blond's.

Groaning, Tsukishima pulled himself away from the raven's hold and continued walking. "What makes you think this is a date? There's no way I'd want to go anywhere with-" he stopped his sentence short when he noticed Daichi eyeing him from a distance. This was definitely going to be a pain. "I was just going to hang around the castle, probably read today."

"Wow, you really aren't an interesting guy," commented Kuroo.

"Well what do you suppose we do?!" exclaimed an infuriated Tsukishima. As soon as he noticed the little smirk starting to form on Kuroo's lips Tsukishima immediately found himself regretting everything he just said.

"Oh, I have something in mind."

* * *

"I. Fucking. Hate. You." It was a statement Tsukishima wholeheartedly agreed with.

"Oh come on, you can't stay mad with this face forever."

Looking up at Kuroo who was just a couple of steps ahead of him he noticed him posing very innocently with that infamous smile on his face. "Yes, yes I can."

After much convincing of Sugawara and Daichi (they actually snuck away while the other two were kissing lips in the courtyard) Kuroo immediately took Tsukishima by the arm and dragged him out of the castle and to an unknown place even he didn't know about. It seemed that behind the castle there was a hidden pathway that lead further up the mountain and to god knows where. He or anyone in the kingdom never bothered to go further up the mountain since that would only result in colder temperatures and less oxygen. Just leave it to the first king to place the castle in such a dangerous place.

"You hurt me," pouted Kuroo, placing a hand on his chest.

Crinkling his nose Tsukishima directed his attention away from the raven and turned to look at the accumulating fog right beside them. He wouldn't be surprised if this was actually a cloud. "Where are you even taking me?"

Silence followed before Kuroo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."

"What?! You mean you kidnapped me from the castle and you don't even know where you're taking me? How stupid can you be?"

"You didn't stop me from "kidnapping" you anyways, you're not even trying to run away," pointed out Kuroo.

Light pink dusted Tsukishima's cheeks. "Shut up! There wasn't anything to do anyways so why not see where you'll take me." Huffing the blond walked ahead of Kuroo and continued his trek up the mountain side.

Whatever you say Tsukishima-kun~! You know you have to hang out with me anyways so you can't escape."

"It's not like I want to, my father forced me too," grumbled Tsukishima.

"Didn't your mother have any say in this?"

Stopping in his tracks silence fell before them. "My mother's dead."

"Oh." Kuroo immediately regretted asking the question. "Sorry."

"It's not like it bothers me, people die all the time. She died when I was little so I don't remember that much about her, just that she told me stories all the time, even about the sun. Since she was from a different kingdom she would always tell me stories about how bright the sun was and how beautiful it was. If you haven't noticed we rarely ever get sun here because of the clouds, I don't think I've seen the sun in months by now."

"Sheesh, what a depressing place. So it's just you and your father huh?" asked Kuroo.

"I have a brother too, but who knows where he is. He left two years ago to search for his supposed calling and- wait... why am I even telling you this?!"

Kuroo shrugged and gave Tsukishima a cat-like grin. "Don't look at me; you're the one that just started rambling."

"Whatever." Tsukishima quickened his pace up the mountain.

Walking in silence for another couple minutes both princes noticed a streak of light shining above them and quickly hurried to go check out what it was. Tsukishima was the first to make it to the top and found himself gasping at the sight he saw.

It was the sun. The bright and yellow sun shining beautifully between the clouds of the sky. It may not seem like something to get excited about, but since Karasuno Kingdom is set on a hill side that points away from the sun, plus there are always clouds that hover above the kingdom, they rarely get to see the sun shine above the sky. He was actually feeling this incredible beating in his chest when he felt the warmth hit against his cold cheek and the rays of the sun obstruct his vision. It was like nothing he's ever seen before.

"Well won't you look at that, I guess getting kidnapped by me wasn't so bad after all," said Kuroo. He stood beside Tsukishima, waiting for the other to retort in some kind of way but got nothing in return. He tilted his head in confusion and turned to look at the other. He felt his half-lidded eyes widen at the pure and amazed look on the blond's face face.

He noticed the rays gently caressing his face, he noticed the corners of his lips slightly raising up, and he noticed the twinkling look in his eyes. Turning his head to the side Tsukishima gave Kuroo a genuine smile and said "Thank you."

"Wha-? Wait, can you say that again, I didn't hear you." This sure was something out of this world.

Quickly regaining his composure and being aware of the words he said Tsukishima scowled and looked away. "I'm not going to say it again." He heard Kuroo chuckle but after that silence followed.

"Your welcome."

They stood like that for several minutes, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the silence that hung above them. On the way back Kuroo thought he was imagining things but it was possible that Tsukishima was actually a couple inches closer to him than before. Maybe it was just his imagination.

* * *

As soon as they returned to the castle both princes got an earful from Sugawara and Daichi who were worried sick about both of them. Tsukishima was going to force out a simple apology before Kuroo stopped him and warned them about not keeping a good eye on the princes, instead sucking each other's mouth off. This earned him a blush from Suga and a sigh from Daichi.

They got away with only a warning.

That night they enjoyed dinner with a few more words than before. Everyone at the table, even his father noticed the difference in his son's demeanor. Just yesterday he was scowling and eating in silence, but now he actually had a neutral look on his face, actually conversing with Kuroo from time to time.

"Oi, pass the salt."

"What's the magic word?"

"Fuck you, now pass the salt."

"That's not it, although I wouldn't mind indulging in your pleasures-ow!"

"Be quiet and give me the fucking salt you fucking cat."

Okay, so maybe there was still some bad chemistry between them, but at least they were talking to each other. Some of the occupants at the table found themselves very confused with all of this while others (Sugawara) only smiled. It was really an eventful dinner, although as soon as dessert was served they began to worry about Kuroo's wellbeing.

"Stop eating my pie, you have your own."

"But I like yours better."

"They're the same!"

"Not if it's Tsukishima-kun's. If you dislike me eating your food so much then why not feed me, my arms are getting a little sore anyways-ow!"

At least they were talking, that's all that mattered.

* * *

The very next day Kuroo and Tsukishima found themselves sneaking out of the castle again after Sugawara and Daichi where off doing god knows what. This time instead of climbing up the mountain side Kuroo wished to go visit the village below the castle. He was only able to see the place from afar since he was inside his carriage throughout the whole travel here, so he wanted to go see how his future wife's town looked life. This earned him a kick to the shin, but Tsukishima agreed to do so anyways.

The village below wasn't the richest in the world, but that didn't bother many of the people at all. After living in such harsh climates for such a long time they grew accustomed to the weather and the financial problems a lot of them got into. Although the king tried his best to help the people as much as possible, there was still the problem that the mines didn't always bring the greatest amount of minerals to sell. Right now they made do with what they had.

As soon as they got to the small village Kuroo immediately began exploring the whole place. He went from one stall to another, greeting the many people who greeted him with warm smiles and past the children who ran around the streets. Tsukishima who trailed behind him gave his people a nod or a quick smile before hurrying after Kuroo who was running all over the place like a kid.

"Wow, this fabric is so soft, I've never felt something so warm before. What is it made out of?" He asked the vendor.

"Sheep," answered the tall woman.

"Amazing." He rubbed the cloth over his cheeks and reveled in the softness.

"Oi, if you're going to put your germs all over that then buy it already," interrupted an annoyed Tsukishima.

Kuroo gasped like it was an amazing idea. "You're right. Excuse me but I'll-" he was stopped by a ruckus. Turning around both men looked through the people that stopped in the middle of the street and saw a man push down an orange-haired kid to the ground. In an instant he felt his blood boil; he set down the fabric and took a step forward, but was stopped by Tsukishima.

"Don't worry," said the blond. "He's got this."

Kuroo was confused by that statement but somehow found that he could trust Tsukishima on this. Calming down he looked back at the commotion and watched patiently as this all played out.

"Fly? Psh, what makes you think you can do something as stupid as that, it's impossible!" Grumbled out the man.

The orange-haired kid scowled and pushed himself up from the ground. He dusted off his shirt and looked back up at the man with menacing eyes. "Don't make fun of me or my dreams! They're not stupid; I know it can become reality!"

"Real? Ha, why don't you fucking go jump off a cliff or something, maybe that way you'll be able to fly after all." His voice boomed with laughter causing all who surrounded them to wince at the loud voice. "Stop wasting this country's time and money and go do something useful!" He raised his hand to push the orange-haired kid back down but instantly stopped when he looked behind the kid.

"Oi, is there a problem here?" A raven with looks that could kill stood behind the orange-haired kid, his eyes wide and glaring daggers into the tall man's body. He almost felt shivers run down his spine. "Can you not beat up my dumbass; I still need him alive to finish this project. You understand don't you?"

The man nodded.

"Very well, then scram."

Huffing in anger the taller man opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself short when he noticed a dark aura radiate from the raven. He turned in the opposite direction and walked away from the scene he created.

The orange-haired kid turned around and pointed his finger at the raven. "You didn't have to come in; I could have handled this all on my own! Stupid Kageyama!"

"Huh?!" Feeling his temper rise Kageyama clutched the orange-haired kid's head causing him to yell out in pain. "Don't call me stupid you dumbass! Dumbass Hinata! If I wasn't here then you would be on the ground crying by now!"

"Nu-uh!"

"Yu-huh!"

On the sideling Kuroo watched in amusement as both males made a fool of themselves in the middle of the street. People around simply laughed at their antics and continued on with what they were doing. Kuroo looked away for a single second to look at Tsukishima who gave a quick half-smile before noticing Kuroo's stare.

"What?"

"Nothing, I'm just surprised you knew everything was going to be fine."

"It's nothing new, wherever Hinata is Kageyama is surely somewhere in sight. Those two idiots are practically inseparable."

Kuroo noticed the corner of Tsukishima's lip twitch.

"Oh, so they're your friend?"

The blond sputtered and looked at the raven as if he was mental. "Like hell I'd be friends with those two! There's no way!"

"But you were smiling when you saw them," Kuroo pointed out.

"Was not."

"Was too."

Clicking his tongue Tsukishima started feeling his cheeks get red and cursed at the heavens for this natural reaction. Turning in the opposite direction he immediately made his way through the streets and back to the castle.

"Aww, come on Tsukishima-kun, I was only playing."

Oh, Tsukishima knew that Kuroo was playing; he just hated it how this man could read him so easily. Nobody has been able to do something like this before; even Sugawara couldn't always read his mind. Was it possible that the ashen-haired man was right? Where they really meant to be?

* * *

That night was a very windy night. From outside anyone could hear the wind howling, blowing against the castle and causing it to rattle along the mountain's edge. When Tsukishima was little he used to always be scared of these nights, terrified at the thought that the castle would collapse any minute now. His mother was always there to comfort him during those times, but now, he had no one but an empty space besides him, that is what he thought.

It was during those nights that Tsukishima liked staying up and hearing the wind blow outside. He would lie in his bed and stare out the window in front of him, watching the moon glow and brighten up his room. It was at this moment when he heard his room's door open and then close. He immediately thought that it was an intruder and stood up to check, but was stopped by a large hand draping itself over his body.

"Still not asleep yet, Tsukishima-kun~!"

He pushed the arm away and sat up so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. Looking to the side he noticed a half-naked Kuroo lying on his bed besides him.

"W-What are you doing here?!" Whispered loudly Tsukishima.

"I got lonely in my room and decided to pay you a visit. Are you not happy to see me?"

"No. Why would I?" He said with clear confidence. Clear confidence that couldn't stop staring at Kuroo's abs.

Kuroo noticed this and smiled. "Oh, but you are happy to see my body?" Leaning forward he put his face real close to Tsukishima's causing the blond to lean back on reflex.

"What?"

"You have really beautiful eyes, you know that?"

"What?" Clearly Tsukishima was hearing things because the topic of his eyes has never been brought up once in any normal conversation, but considering this wasn't any "normal" conversation, then anything could happen.

"They're so vibrant; it's almost like I'm looking at gold. So beautiful."

Feeling a blush creep up Tsukishima turned in the opposite direction and placed his hand over his eyes, embarrassed about the words that just left Kuroo's lips.

"Hey, you shouldn't hide them, they're so beautiful. Let me see." Leaning further against Tsukishima's body, Kuroo tried pulling away the other's hand but found that the blond was much stronger than he expected. He struggled for several seconds before taking a leap of faith and pushing Tsukishima to get a better hold of his hands. Since Tsukishima was already on the edge of his bed this caused him to fall on the marble floor, pulling Kuroo down with him. Now if you thought they were in a compromising position then, then they were definitely up to something now.

Tsukishima had his back against the marble floor while Kuroo lay directly on top of him. Their faces were extremely close to each other, noses just a few centimeters from touching.

Noticing their position the blond tried pushing the other way but was quickly stopped.

"No, let's just stay like this for a while longer," said Kuroo.

Tsukishima tried ignoring his request, but one quick look at those eyes caused him to become frozen solid.

Kuroo smiled gently and lowered his head to the top of Tsukishima's shoulder. He breathed in the blond's scent and found himself reveling in that pleasurable smell. Draping one arm to the side he used the other one to search for Tsukishima's hand before intertwining their fingers together. Tsukishima noticed this but couldn't find the will to stop the raven. Instead laying limp on the floor and allowing Kuroo to use his thumb to caress the back of his hand.

"You're being so cooperative Tsukishima-kun, what's with the change of mood?"

Silence followed, the blond made no move to answer the raven's question.

Kuroo chuckled. "Glad to know you're still you in this situation."

Another silent pause followed.

"Good night Tsukishima-kun."

Tsukishima said nothing, waiting until he felt Kuroo's soft breath tickle the crook of his neck. A large sigh fell from his lips. He opened his mouth and mumbled "Good night, you fucking cat."

* * *

After days of hanging out with each other -Tsukishima's father didn't even have to demand him to do it, he just did it- Tsukishima and Kuroo were slowly starting to come closer to each other. It was on the first day that they met that Tsukishima cursed at him and kicked him in the shin. Back then the blond was so close to ripping out the sly cat's throat out. When they were in the same room they would stand a couple feet away from each other and Tsukishima would be sending him the wickest glares possible.

Now, it was the complete opposite. Instead they stood at most two inches away from each other; Kuroo was hanging off of Tsukishima and the blond doing nothing to push the raven away. There was no more kicking of the shin, although the foul curses would slip out here and there, and there was even times when a passing guard would walk in on when they were hanging out and see a huge smile on Tsukishima's face.

That's not something you see every day. You better believe that Sugawara was in the other room smiling like a madman at his intuition, like always.

Everything was going good, they were hanging out, they were happy, and for a couple of days now Tsukishima not once has stated that he wanted to end the marriage. Everything was going according to plan... "Was" being the key word.

Walking down the halls anyone within the vicinity noticed the prince walking with a little jump in his steps. In his hands he held a large and woolly fabric he bought from the village below the castle. Kuroo has been begging him for days to buy him the fabric, but Tsukishima would always deny him that pleasure and turn his attention to something else.

Today Kuroo wasn't with him since he had to talk with Yaku about something, leaving Tsukishima all on his own. One thing led to another and with Kuroo gone he decided that this would be the perfect moment to go buy Kuroo the fabric. This way he'll stop complaining and always nudging his head against his arm.

Walking down the hall the blond soon came to Kuroo's room and raised his hand to knock on the door, but was stopped by the ray of light that filtered out of the room. He heard voices coming from inside and found that he couldn't deny himself the pleasure of listening in on another's conversation.

"It was just a game. I was just going to toy with his feelings and then get him where it hurt the most. The guy didn't want to marry me anyways so why not have a little fun before closing the deal. He was going to fall in love with me and I was going to break his heart, that was the plan."

Tsukishima felt his heart shatter. The fabric fell from his hands and a large lump lodged itself in his throat. Gritting his teeth he turned in the opposite direction and walked away from Kuroo's room. Sadly, he wasn't there to listen to the rest of Kuroo's conversation.

"Well, that  _was_  the plan, but somewhere along the way I started falling for the guy."

"So now what?" Asked Lev. "Are you still going to go ahead with the marriage proposal?"

"I don't even know anymore, I don't even know if he still wants to marry me." Sighing Kuroo rubbed the top of his head. Of all things to worry about, of all things for Kuroo Tetsurou, the prince of Nekoma to worry about, it just had to be about love. What a cruel way to hit a guy in the heart.

Hearing a knock at his door Kuroo stood up from the bed and opened the door to see a maid holding something.

"Pardon me prince, but I found this in front of your door." She presented the fabric to him.

"What is it?"

Staring at the object Kuroo lifted up the fabric to his cheeks and recognized the familiar soft feeling to it. It was the fabric he has been begging Tsukishima to buy for him for days now.

"But what is this...- No." Dropping the fabric Kuroo quickly ran out of the room and down the long narrow hall.

"Kuroo? Kuroo, where are you going?" Lev yelled, panic in his voice.

"I have to go find him; he must have heard what I was saying!" He yelled back. "That idiot, if only he stayed to hear me finish."

Pushing through guards and servants Kuroo ran pass a confused Sugawara, stopping only to alert him of what happened with Tsukishima before continuing on and pass the castle doors to the outside world. He scanned the area, looking for an idea on where he could have gone. He thought back to the many places they've been. The courtyard, the village, the mountain- the mountain side! That was it.

* * *

Trekking up the side of the mountain Kuroo right away saw Tsukishima standing by the edge of the cliff. He took a step forward but was stopped by a furious voice he's never heard before.

"Don't come any closer."

"Tsukishima listen to me, I didn't mean anything-"

"Of course you didn't. Just like how you didn't mean to toy with my heart and lead me on like that." Turning around he looked at Kuroo with hateful eyes. "For once in my life I felt happy. I found someone who could actually understand me for me. I found someone that was always there to give me a smile, a sly and conceited jerk who did nothing but hurt me!"

That's not it; well it was at first, but-"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear it! Just leave me alone already." Turning away Tsukishima held his head in his hands, his teeth grinded against each other and his brows furrowed in anger. "That's it, I'm done, I'm ending this marriage."

"Don't do that, just listen to me."

"No, I don't want to hear anymore, get away!"

Kuroo ignored all of Tsukishima's pleas and stepped towards him. He took one of his flailing hands and tried getting him to look at his face. "I know I messed up, I know I tried toying with you, but that was when I met you. After spending all these days with you I finally found that I was wrong. Tsuki- Kei, listen to me."

"No, stop!"

"I lov-"

"Shut up-"

It was at that very moment when all things started falling apart. Literally. Standing so close to the cliff's edge a side of the mountain chipped of causing Tsukishima to lose his balance. His foot slipped and he soon found himself looking at the world horizontally.

"Kei!"

And then everything went dark.

* * *

"Ugh."

Tsukishima felt his head spinning, every single muscle in his body ached with pain, his body screaming at him to not move. He felt a massive headache start to form and if he was correct then some kind of substance was dripping down the side of his arm. He opened his eyes, blinking them a couple times to adjust to the sudden change of light and gasped at what he saw. There, below him was an injured Kuroo.

"Glad to see that you're awake," he mumbled, throat cracking under pressure. Kuroo was also hurt; actually, he looked way worse than Tsukishima. He saw blood pooling down the side of his head and one of his hands bent at an abnormal angle. His face and hands were all scuffed up and scratched, twigs and leafs hanging off his head.

"Wha- What happened?" asked Tsukishima. He tried pushing himself up but saw that his movement only caused Kuroo more pain so he laid there frozen.

"Don't worry; the fall wasn't that much, just a few feet. Although there was a tree hanging by the side of the cliff which I have no idea how that even got there. At least it helped break or fall."

Looking around Tsukishima noticed that they were in what looked like some kind of trench. Walls surrounded them on all sides with no way of escape at all. He looked back down at Kuroo and winced at his state, confused at the raven's actions.

"Why?"

"Well you see the tree stopped our fall from making it a bit worse-"

"Not that you idiot, I mean why did you try and save me? Don't you hate me; wouldn't you be happy to finally get rid of me?"

Hearing the blond's words Kuroo sighed and shifted his non-broken hand to lay it on top of the other's head. "Didn't you hear me at all? I was going to say it before you interrupted me."

"But you said-"

"I know what I said. I know all the cruel and evil things I said, but if you stayed long enough then you would know that that was all in the past. After getting to know you finally realized how great of a guy you are. Sure you can be sassy and anti-social, but that's just the kind of guy I fell in love with. If you weren't who you are then I wouldn't be here right now with a broken arm and a few cuts. You fulfill me Tsukishima Kei."

Hearing those words Tsukishima felt heat rise up to his cheeks. Feeling embarrassed he lowered his head and into it in Kuroo's chest. "Sheesh, how cheesy can you get."

"Kei."

His eyes traveled up to lock on with Kuroo's.

"I love you."

This time he hid his whole face in the rave's chest, body trembling with embarrassment and face as red as a tomato.

"Hey, you look way cuter blushing like that."

"Shut up," mumbled Tsukishima through Kuroo's chest.

Kuroo chuckled and rubbed the blond's head, hands trailing down and caressing his cheek. "So, do you accept my apology?"

Silence followed. Kuroo waited patiently, watching as Tsukishima raised his head and averted his eyes. His face was still red, but a little of the blush had gone away. After several seconds passed Kuroo almost thought the other wasn't going to accept his apology, that is until Tsukishima did something he's never done before.

He kissed Kuroo on the lips.

The kiss was quick and chaste, only lasting a few seconds before Tsukishima pulled away, grumbling curses below his breath. Kuroo on the other hand felt like he was in heaven. Although the kiss was short it was still pretty amazing, Tsukishima's lips were so soft and warm.

"Woah... you think we can do that again?"

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "No way."

"Aww, come on," pouted Kuroo.

"I said no."

But-"

"Hey!"

A loud booming voice broke through their conversation. Looking up both princes looked past the translucent fog to see Sugawara and Yaku standing before them on the cliff of the mountain. Both were panting heavily, probably from looking all over the place trying to find them.

"Are you guys okay?" Yelled Yaku.

"Never better, just some blood and a few broken bones, other than that I feel great," answered Kuroo. Tsukishima blushed thinking that his kiss actually made Kuroo forget about all the pain he was in.

Even from this distance Kuroo could see Yaku roll his eyes. "Glad to see you're still the same. Just wait there; we'll go find something to get you out."

"Yes sir, not even going to move from this spot!"

Yaku only sent him a glare before walking away with Sugawara to go find help.

"Looks like everything is starting to look good. You and I are back together now."

"God, I may have just made the worst decision in my life," gasped Tsukishima.

"Hey!"

Leaning forward Tsukishima captured Kuroo's lips in another kiss, this time for much longer. Kuroo was already opening his mouth to get a better taste of the blond but was stopped when Tsukishima pulled away. He whined and looked down at the blond with a pout.

"Yeah, I'm happy."

The raven heard this and raised an eyebrow, but found that he couldn't help but follow along and smile along with Tsukishima who had the corner of his lips raised.

"Yeah. I love you, Kei."

"I love you too, Tetsurou."

As Tsukishima laid his head on Kuroo's chest and waited for help to arrive he remembered back to how this whole mess started. His father ordering him to follow through with the arranged marriage and Sugawara commenting on how they would definitely get along with each other. Of course there were times that they would go back and forth calling each other names, but it was more as a joking manner. He actually felt that Kuroo understood him more than any person before. Kuroo fulfilled him and Tsukishima brightened up his world. It was like two pieces that fit together in a puzzle.

Tsukishima scoffed. Maybe he should listen to Sugawara more often, because of him he was able to find his one and only true love, and that's something he can thank him for.

"So when we get back are you going to nurse me back to health? I wouldn't mind seeing you in one of those maids dress."

Never mind, this was going to take some time getting used to.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me?!"

"Shut up, stop saying inappropriate stuff!"

"But it's true; I bet you'd look cute in a dress."

"Pervert..."

"Love you too Kei."

"..Yeah, Love you, Tetsurou."

**Author's Note:**

> Gosh I just love those two dorks. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions please ask, other than that thank you for reading.


End file.
